October 6

1779 – Nathan Appleton was born in New Ipswitch, New Hampshire. He was a merchant, manufacturer, financier, politician, and philanthropist. A mill owner and operator, he was concerned about the human suffering caused by the factory system, and sought to change working conditions in the United States, combining the Unitarian principle of the goodness of human nature with sound business practices. He was a member of the Federal Street Church under William Ellery Channing. He served six terms in the Massachusetts legislature and one in the U.S. House of Representatives.